Moving Indonesia's Capitol city: Shades of Alabama

     As you may have heard, Indonesia is moving its capitol from Jakarta to a virtually uninhabited jungle. And the reason for the move is similar to Alabama's decision to move away from the early capitol site of Cahaba to Montgomery in the early 1800's:

The capital was moved from the town, located in the bend where the Alabama and Cahaba rivers meet, because of severe flooding in 1825 and residents gradually abandoned the site.

 

Arthur house, Old Cahawba Archaeological Park Larry Bell

 

Meanwhile in Indonesia:

Jakarta " sits on swampy land, the Java Sea lapping against it, and 13 rivers running through it. So it shouldn't be a surprise that flooding is frequent in Jakarta and, according to experts, it is getting worse. But it's not just about freak floods, this massive city is literally disappearing into the ground.

Jakarta is an Asian mega-city with 10 million people, or 30 million including those in its greater metropolitan area. It is prone to earthquakes and flooding and is rapidly sinking because of uncontrolled extraction of ground water. The water and rivers are highly contaminated. Congestion is estimated to cost the economy $6.5 billion a year.

 

Moving THAT capitol is expected to cost billions, though as the BBC reported, other countries have moved their capitals. 

 

Love the "Indians" reference. NOT an official Historic sign.

The old Alabama capitol of Cahawba is not much to look at these days, but worth a visit! more info HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are predictions that Jakarta will be mostly underwater in the coming decades.

 

Yes!

 A Reason to cheer!

Spring begins two months from today!

 

Media: Imagine if Alabama Public Radio and The Montgomery Advertiser merged....

      So far as I know, nobody has proposed that merger, but a similar, though much larger deal, is happening in Chicago, as The Washington Post reported:

In an unusual merger that some hope could serve as a national model to preserve local journalism, Chicago’s NPR station plans to acquire one of the city’s major daily newspapers.

On Tuesday, the board of directors for Chicago Public Media, the umbrella organization for WBEZ, approved moving forward with the acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times. The deal is expected to be complete by Jan. 31.

Chicago is one of the nation’s largest media markets, and WBEZ — which started in the 1940s as an arm of the Chicago Board of Education — is where some of public radio’s most notable programs were formed, including “This American Life,” “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me” and “Serial.”

The Sun-Times has also been publishing since the 1940s. It is known as much for its hard-hitting tabloid-like coverage as its eight Pulitzer prizes — and being the longtime home of celebrated film critic Roger Ebert. Lately, however, it has endured the same financial tumult as many other local newspapers.

     Why would a merger in Montgomery be of interest to The Advertiser? They've been cutting back in many ways ever before the paper became part of Gannett. 

     Most recently Gannett announced they will no longer publish and deliver a Saturday newspaper in 136 of the 253 markets in which they own a paper, including Montgomery. That will end their reign as the largest daily newspaper in Alabama when the Saturday paper goes away in March.

     Dramatic as that cutback will be, the step taken in Chicago would be  much, much larger were it to occur in Montgomery.

     But who knows? Alabama Public Radio is a big operation, with multiple stations:

      Now most of those Alabama public  stations would not likely be interested in owning or operating a Montgomery-centric newspaper. 

     Then again, what would you have said a month ago if I told you the public radio station in Chicago would own The Chicago Sun-Times?

Don't Forget!

 

Legislators are in a special session to consider how to use the money allocated to Alabama by The American Rescue Plan legislation.

The State has already received some 500-Million from the plan. But the Alabama Congressional delegation, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, voted against it, with one exception.

 

U.S. Senate vote:

Alabama:

Shelby (R-AL), Nay

Tuberville (R-AL), Nay

 

 Final Vote: 50-49

 

U.S. House vote:

	Aderholt	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Brooks	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Carl	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Moore (AL)	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Palmer	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Rogers (AL)	Republican	Alabama	Nay
	Sewell	Democratic	Alabama	Yea

 Final Vote:  220-211

 Just remember that vote when those federal dollars are used here in Alabama.

And will someone ask Republican Governor Ivey about it please?

Her comment so far? She blames Congress & The White House:

“While states like Alabama are making record economic comebacks, Congress and the Biden White House are wanting our country to spend more and more federal dollars, (THOUGH YOU COULD JUST RETURN THE MONEY!) and now we are tasked with allocating the American Rescue Plan Act funds. I have made clear, that unlike Washington, D.C.,(WHICH PROVIDED THE MONEY!) Alabama will be wise with these one-time, federal dollars."

WHAT??? 

Explain please, Governor?

Covid tests

Here is the Federal Government website for four free Covid tests per household:

https://www.covidtests.gov/

And get vaccinated if you have not already done so! 

 

The New Space Telescope is oh so close to its parking spot!

      According to the excellent NASA tracking page, just over 65,000 miles away from the "L2" spot where it will stay...a stable place in space. And it is moving at 0.1599 miles a second....about 5.5 days to go.

 Project scientists have frankly been amazed, and pleased, with the smoothness of the mission so far!

 

More Africans were shipped as slaves to a South American Country than to the U.S.

 The Washington Post has the story of the slave trade to Brazil:

At the height of the transatlantic slave trade, nearly 1 million enslaved Africans arrived on its cobbled stones, likely more than anywhere else in the world, and twice as many as were trafficked to all of the United States. UNESCO has called the wharf, discovered in 2011 during an urban renovation project, a “unique and exceptional” place that “carries enormous historical as well as spiritual importance to African Americans.”

 

MLK & Vietnam

 

 "King was foremost a minister who pastored to a local church throughout his career, even while he was doing national civil rights work. And he became concerned that his political ally Johnson was making a grave moral mistake in Vietnam. Johnson quickly escalated American troop presence in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 in 1965. And by 1968, more than a half a million troops were stationed in the Southeast Asian nation."

photo credit: HERE

From an article on the Asia Times website about MLK's activism against the Vietnam War, which resulted in the deaths of some 53,000 Americans.

 

Overt racism was typical in American bases in Vietnam. Although initially uncommon at the start of the war, after the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., overt racism occurred at a higher rate.^[3] Following the assassination, some White troops at Cam Ranh Base wore Ku Klux Klan robes and paraded around the base.^{[6][11]: 183} At least three instances of cross burning were confirmed to have happened.^[12] Da Nang Air Base flew the Confederate flag for three days in response.^[12][6] In addition to being used in response to King's murder, Confederate flags and icons were commonly painted on jeeps, tanks, and helicopters; bathroom graffiti proclaimed that African Americans, not the Vietnamese, were the real enemy. Black troops were discouraged from taking pride in Black identity, with one troop ordered to remove a "Black is beautiful" poster from his locker.^[6] Following complaints from African American soldiers, Confederate flags were briefly banned but soon allowed after resistance from Southern politicians objected.^[3] Black identity publications and speeches were restricted, with some commanders banning recordings of speeches by Malcolm X or the newspaper The Black Panther.^[11] Despite segregation being abolished in the military, it still affected troops.^[8]

(From a Wikipedia article HERE)

(Note: I write this post as a Vietnam Veteran 1970-1971. Tim Lennox.)

Grammar Rule

 STOP SAYING "THERE'S".

The odds are you are using it incorrectly.

I hear the misuse on network news, in commercials, and just about everywhere.

"There's" is a contraction for "THERE IS". It MUST have a singular object of the verb.

NOT There's hundreds of cars on the lot.

NOT There's three bikes on the lawn.

NOT There's 500 legislators attending the meeting.

Some actual examples:

“There’s several things I want to do right out of the gate.”

   

Religion & The Tide

By Jane Coaston

Opinion Writer

The N.Y. Times

 

 

"When people complain about Alabama’s dominance, they’re missing the point. To me, Alabama is sports at its best: not the wonder of competition or the joy of watching an underdog come out on top (obviously, though that’s pretty awesome, too), but the terror and awe of watching a behemoth. That term, “behemoth,” comes from Chapter 40 of the Book of Job, by the way, in which God describes a creature so powerful only he can kill it. “Its tail sways like a cedar,” its limbs are like “rods of iron,” the Lord says, and “a raging river does not alarm it.” And if you’ve ever seen Alabama play at home in the fourth quarter of a game against a feisty but overmatched opponent, well, this probably sounds pretty familiar."

 

Read the full column HERE.

The Great Blizzard of 2022 in Montgomery!!!!!!

 

LCS = "Little Crappy Ship"?

 Lots of questions about the LCS U.S. Naval ships built at a Mobile Alabama facility. Read this article in the TaskAndPurpose website.

 

"In 2018, the Pentagon’s Operational Test & Evaluation office found that “Neither LCS variant is survivable in high-intensity combat,” and in 2020 the OT&E concluded that the ships were significantly lacking in critical defensive capabilities but that the Navy “has accepted the risk of continued operations with a combat system that they have not operationally tested.”

Even so, the ships have continued to be commissioned despite earning the nickname “little crappy ship.”

 

Hyundai VehiclesMade in Alabama Recalled

Hyundai lots in Montgomery

 

   The website Autoevolution.com     

   reports some 27k vehicles from the  

   plant here in Montgomery are being 

   recalled for a windshield bonding 

   issue:

 

 

 

"Last used by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama on December 16th, 2020, the suspect non-conforming material affects 9,596 units of the 2021 Hyundai Sonata, along with 8,561 units of the 2020 - 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe and 8,256 examples of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. Of the grand total of 26,413 automobiles, the issue reportedly affects just around one percent."

Two Weeks Left for MAG Art Show

 The Montgomery Art Guild show is open for another two weeks at the newly renamed Montgomery Cultural Arts Center.

THE MONTGOMERY art guild members’ show
exhibition dates: January 4-29, 2022
At the Montgomery cultural arts center (formerly the armory learning arts center)
1018 Madison avenue, Montgomery

The Montgomery Art Guild is presenting a members’ only show in January at the Montgomery Cultural Arts Center (formerly named the Armory Learning Arts Center) in the Anita P. Folmar Gallery located at 1018 Madison Avenue in Montgomery.

The exhibit will run January 4-29, 2022.

An Even Larger Manhattan?

 It may never be built, but there is a proposal to enlarge the island of Manhattan.

Take a look:

 

The idea is explained in a guest editorial in today's N.Y. Times. It would make room in the city for another 250,000 residents.

And they think traffic is bad now?